Thursday, March 12, 2009

Tangentmental Song Post

Blame it on a good day, blame it on insomnia and a jacked sleep schedule, blame it on Rod Stewart and The Faces, or just blame it on the fact that I'm listening to my I-pod shuffle, drinking a beer, and got an idea. Blame whatever. The idea approached me that I've got some 60 or so songs on my little buddy, and almost each and every song on here has a story one way or another, of why it's on here, why I like it, or some other story about some ethereal meaning that it has. So, as "Stay With Me," ends, here are the songs, and their stories (file this in the party? section); I'm going to write about each song more or less until it ends, then move on, and do it until I'm completely bored or fall asleep:

Bob Seger, "Night Moves"

I never much liked Mr. Seger. Listen to much of his music and he's cheesy, sentimental, and maybe full of shit. But then really listen, and allow yourself to be cheesy, which you and I are at times, setimental (ditto), and so forth, and allow yourself to just get all Segerly. I once spray-painted Seger on my skateboard, but no more. Seger is the muse of pain and nostalgia, the everyman's everyman-that and I totally equated "Night Moves" to my relationship with my highschool girlfriend. Yeah, it was ALL about night moves. Ever since we wrote our own song to the Night Moves song, I've appreciated it even more. Already breaking protocol: skipping ahead.

The Dandy Warhols, "Boys Better" (I think?)

Simply put, Fourstar used this song in one of the most awesome intros to a skateboard video ever, and the shit was in my head forever until I downloaded it. I'm off to a shitty start, clicking ahead...

The Delgados, "Stepping In From The Cold"

Oh good, something to write about. This song was used in the Blueprint skateboard video of some name or another, and a dude named Danny Brady skated to it. Awesome skateboard part to be sure, but the best part about this song comes down to my friend Neal. Neal used to live in Chicago when the aforementioned video came out, and then he blew out his knee, and was no longer able to skateboard. He moved here for school and parents, and thought his skateboard career was done for. Basically, when the CD player in my car still worked, Neal and I were driving around one time, and this song came on. He grimaced slightly, and then turned to me and said, "Yo, I can't listen to this song." He explained that he'd listened to it pretty much everyday the summer past in order to get hyped up, and the thought of it now only made his knee hurt. But he got better and skates every chance he gets now.

Andre Nikatina, "Frisco"

Rob Welsh skated to this song. It was dope. Another time we started jumping over shit in this apartment where we jump over shit just for fun and then it came on and then we jumped some more shit and then we went to that bar, Liquor Lyle's. Never liked that bar that much.

Outkast, "Da Art of Storytellin' Part 2"

Real Talk, this song was formative to old Mr. Gerbik. Aquemini is one of those prototypical records that just defines the time when I really started to get or understand music, or make it mean something, or take a meaning from it, or...While there were countless times when this song came on while I was a 17 year old trying to find a place to smoke a clove or trying to hook up with some girl to make out with, the one time that stands out is the morning after the best party I've ever been to. It was at Neal's house, Weird Science style, I was 18, and we were cleaning up. I put this song on and was vibing hard after sleeping in Neal's mom's office. Chips turned it off and made some joke about shitty rap and then I was bummed.

Belle & Sebastien, "Dirty Dream Number Two

The first time I heard this song was when Damian had edited some footage of people together and used it. Then I heard it a ton after, and loved it, but then it really hit home, when, I was staying in the basement of my house during a protracted break-up with a certain HPC member, and I watched the B & S DVD which I absolutely didn't steal from her, and lo and behold the "Dirty Dream Number Two" music video was on there. Needless to say, I was already in love with Belle & Sebastian due to a previous affair with "Your Cover's Blown" and assorted tracks, and when I saw the awesome (as in awe...) displays of innocence and brilliance and happiness in the video, like, GAME OVER.

Rod Stewart, "Young Turks"

There, I said it, I'm a skate nerd. Louie Bartletta skated to the "Young Turks" and it was fucking awesome and its a good song to walk down the street to or to think about girls you like because it's a love song or just because you like Rod Stewart. Ok?

Sonic Youth, "Teen Age Riot"

The song of the summer of '08. One breathless afternoon I was listening to The Current and heard the song mentioned above and drove. I'd heard it before in some nameless skateboard video and made note of that, but at some point I'd lost the name of the video (thus nameless) but found myself transfixed and fixed and content. Suddenly it became an NPR favorite "Driveway Song," (or across the street 15 feet from the hydrant song) and I sat and listened for some four minutes. I sat so contently that Sam McGuire, who was going elsewheres at the time, came out and knocked on my window and asked if I was OK, or what I was doing, I don't remember, I was blacked out in the music.

New Order, "Bizarre Love Triangle," Radio Mix

I was at the skatepark one time and it came on and it was amazing, it was the real whole song, and then I went home and downloaded it and I got the radio mix, the shorter version, which is good in its own right.

Belle & Sebastian "My Girl's Got Amazing Technique"

I was in Arizona this past X-mas and then my little brother got me the B & S BBC CD. I was staying at a motel because my dad put me up there because my sister and her fiance had taken up the other room, and I was listening to the CD, and I found the song to incredibly poignant at the time; I had a good crush on a girl, and I'm a blistering romantic, and so on and so on. So pretty much, buy beers at the 7Eleven with your little brother and make him listen to the song but don't tell him exactly what's up. Maybe lil' bro is drunker than you.

Playaz Circle, "Duffle Bag Boy"

Spend a weekend at the cabin doing Wizard Staffs and listening to Lil' Wayne and this shit begets itself. Then one night after beers at the skatepark, say the hook over and over and over as you head to your not-so-home, and just remember, you damn sure not 'bout to pick today to start runnin'. Git Money.

Thin Lizzy, "Jail Break"

Pretty much one of the best songs ever. Ever. Benji introduced this song into my life when we were editing Shitheads Vol. 8 for the ender banger section, and from there, why look back? "Hey you; good-look'n female, come here." Also, "In-to the city zones..."

Last one.-Belle & Sebastian, "Lazy Line Painter Jane"

I swear I had the thing on shuffle the whole time, and then the last song I intend to blab about is a banger, I swear. First I heard this song on the DVD that I did not steal, and then I bought some shit on I-tunes and got it on my computer, and WOW. For all my boring/amazing nights of late late '08 into '09, this song has been THE salvo, the pickup, the feel good gem of the year, and other stuff that is way less lame sounding than what was just typed. Simply, LLPJ let's me dream about having a girl tonight, girls with beautiful voices, aimless Scottish jobs in the Village Shoppe, and dreaming of the time when I'm free of all the trouble I should be in. I know about lotions and potions;